The current ACEs study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, includes parental divorce or separation and emotional and physical neglect other studies have added experiences of social disadvantage (e.g., economic hardship, homelessness, community violence, discrimination, historical trauma). The term ACEs has since been adopted to describe varying lists of adversities. Researchers found that the more ACEs adults reported from their childhoods, the worse their physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., heart disease, substance misuse, depression). The researchers asked adults about childhood adversities in seven categories: physical, sexual, and emotional abuse having a mother who was treated violently living with someone who was mentally ill living with someone who abused alcohol or drugs and incarceration of a member of the household. However, adversity does not predestine children to poor outcomes, and most children are able to recover when they have the right supports-particularly the consistent presence of a warm, sensitive caregiver.Īdverse childhood experiences (ACEs)-a term coined by researchers Vincent Felitti, Robert Anda, and their colleagues in their seminal study conducted from 1995 to 1997-are a subset of childhood adversities. For example, the effects of childhood adversity can become biologically embedded during sensitive periods of development and lead to lifelong physical and mental health problems. Research shows that such experiences can have serious consequences, especially when they occur early in life, are chronic and/or severe, or accumulate over time. Common examples of childhood adversity include child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, bullying, serious accidents or injuries, discrimination, extreme poverty, and community violence.
However, as the use of ACEs questionnaires for identifying potentially harmful childhood experiences has gained popularity, it is important to understand how ACEs differ from other commonly used terms, including childhood adversity, trauma, and toxic stress.Ĭhildhood adversity is a broad term that refers to a wide range of circumstances or events that pose a serious threat to a child’s physical or psychological well-being. The original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study has helped raise public awareness about this critical public health issue. Legislators, caregivers, and the media increasingly recognize that childhood adversity poses risks to individual health and well-being.
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